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When "Witness" was released in China, audiences remembered the serious and brooding young policeman Toju, but the actor did not become an idol among Chinese movie fans like Takakura Ken or Miura Tomokazu.
His death at the end of 1989 naturally did not attract much attention from the Chinese media.
The young policeman is played by Japanese superstar Yusaku Matsuda.
You read that right, Yusaku Matsuda is a superstar in the eyes of Japanese movie fans.
Matsuda Yusaku has been dead for many years. What surprises Sensen is that if he walks into any movie bookstore in Jimbocho, Tokyo, at least half of them are photos, reviews or biographies of the actor.
The book in the picture was bought by Sensen from the bookstore. This is a complete collection of pictures of Yusaku Matsuda. Matsuda has a unique personality. There are very few photos of his life and salon in the album. Most of the photos in the book are stills or modeling photos taken in movies. He has no intention of becoming a star; his ambition is to be an outstanding actor. He did it!
International public opinion compares him to Bruce Lee and James Dean: at least in terms of figure, acting skills, masculinity, and talent for action movies, he can stand shoulder to shoulder with these superstars. 185cm tall and sexy, with a strong body filled with male hormones, which is unprecedented in the Japanese film industry.
01
My life experience is a mystery and I am determined to perform.
Matsuda Yusaku's appearance is indeed different from that of ordinary Japanese. He has a burly physique and three-dimensional facial features that are more European, so some people simply call him a "new Japanese". In fact, this is related to his alien ancestry.
It is said that Matsuda's origin is confusing. One theory is that he was born in Liuxiang, Flower Street. The most reliable theory at present is that he was born in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1949. He was the son of Omura, a Nagasaki man, and Kaneko, a Korean woman living in Japan. illegitimate child.
Kaneko didn't know that Omura already had a wife in his hometown, so when Omura learned that Yuzu was born, the father fled back to Nagasaki overnight. In this way, Yusaku and his two brothers were raised by their mother, and they did not learn about their life experiences until they became adults.
Precious photos from his youth, showing his unruly temperament since he was a child.
When he was 18 years old, Matsuda went to the United States to study for a year, and then returned to Japan to attend night classes in colleges and universities, while continuing to practice karate. The basics of karate will make it almost impossible for him to use a substitute in action scenes in the future.
02
Two strange things happened during my apprenticeship
After Matsuda Yusaku enrolled in Kanto College, he worked as a waiter in a bar during a work-study program. Once I met Takenori Murano, an actor from one of Japan's three major theater troupes, Literary Theater. Murano took a liking to his impressive appearance and strongly invited him to join the Literary Forum. Yusaku took the exam for two years and finally entered the theater troupe in 1972, beginning his future stage performance years.
During his apprenticeship in drama, two strange things happened to him: First, he wanted to become a disciple of Akira Kurosawa. In order to attract the attention of the director, he deliberately performed a play he wrote in a small theater near Kurosawa Akira's house; I waited in front of his house for three days but was eventually driven away. He vowed that he would become famous in the future and would never act in a Kurosawa movie after he became famous. As expected, the two never interacted with each other.
The second is that he once had double eyelid surgery with the idea that "his unpopularity was due to his single eyelids". However, he was unknown at the time and had financial constraints. In order to save money, he used small tailor's scissors to remove the stitches at home, because It was not disinfected properly and left scars.
03
Cowboy policeman arrested for beating
The opportunity finally came: in 1973, the rebellious and brightly decorated cowboy policeman in "Roar to the Sun" made Yusaku Matsuda a blockbuster. During this period, Matsuda Yusaku also acted for the most popular female star at the time, Yamaguchi Momoe, and played Yamaguchi Momoe's uncle in "Red Lost".
In 1975, Matsuda Yusaku took on the role of a criminal drama "Our Medal". During the filming, Matsuda finally lost control of his fiery temper and beat up his 19-year-old student co-star due to a dispute, causing the latter to be seriously injured and arrested.
The next day the story was reported across the city with the headline "Cowboy Cop Arrested." Matsuda Yusaku was eventually sentenced by the court to 10 months in prison, suspended for three years, and ended with an out-of-court settlement and a compensation of 900,000 yen.
Also this year, on September 21, Matsuda’s birthday, he married the actor and writer Michiko, who had been living together for four years. The two divorced in 1981.
A year later, Matsuda Yusaku came back and immediately took on a very suitable drama "Violent Classroom": he played a spicy fighting teacher who fights against bad student bosozoku, which can be regarded as beautifying the previous violent cases. The strange thing is that the previous injury case did not affect Matsuda Yusaku's continued image as a criminal policeman.
04
Starring in "Witness", personal pain
In 1977, Matsuda Yusaku finally had his first movie that could be called his masterpiece on the big screen: "Witness."
"Witness" is adapted from the novel by Makoto Morimura and offers a high-salary reward of 5 million for the script. All applicants are prominent people. The result was finally announced in the "Movie News" after discussions between the film's top management and "Manhunt" director Junya Sato, and it became a hot topic. Also because of the collective efforts, the movie script successfully made more detailed film modifications to the novel.
Why did Yusaku Matsuda star in this big production? In fact, Matsuda was lucky. The original starring role in "Witness" was not scheduled, so Matsuda Yusaku picked it up. However, from a business perspective, Matsuda Yusaku, who is famous as the "cowboy cop", can be said to be a professional player in criminal investigation. Not only does he have considerable commercial appeal, but his tough guy image has also gradually gained popularity.
At the end of the film, the young detective sheds tears after witnessing the heroine jumping off a cliff. This is Matsuda's most emotional and delicate scene in the entire film. During the filming process, Matsuda blurted out a sentence: "What on earth is a mother?" Although it was cut by the director when the film was finally completed, it was enough to prove Matsuda's level of involvement in the play and his heartfelt emotion.
For Matsuda Yusaku, in addition to playing the role of a criminal policeman smoothly, there is actually another layer of meaning. He uses "reincarnation" to describe it: the background of the role of policeman Dong Ju is that his father died because he saved a Japanese woman who was insulted by the US military, and Matsuda's My mother also served in the American soldiers, so she has personal pain.
Therefore, Dong Ju’s stern expression and suppressed anger in the film were all interpreted very realistically by Yusaku Matsuda. His integrity, gloominess, and even violent tendencies add a chilling atmosphere to this serious social mystery film. The police on the screen and Matsuda off the screen are hard to tell apart.
The film has achieved good box office results in the country, and with "Straw Hat Song" becoming popular in Asia, including China, Matsuda Yusaku will continue to write his own myth.
As for why "Human Witness" is very popular, but Matsuda is not popular in China?
The reason is actually very simple:
First, policeman Dongju is an investigator and a bystander in the film. The main line of the story is not about him. The audience will not be worried about his fate, so naturally he will not be popular.
Second, because of the character's life experience, Dong Ju has a sad face and a serious expression from beginning to end. Although he is tall and handsome, he lacks a sense of intimacy.
Third, there is no emotional drama. Even though Takakura Ken is very cold and cool in "The Hunt", the love between him and Mayumi is still romantic, so the audience likes it. As for Dongju, there are no emotional scenes, making it difficult for movie fans to "love deeply for once!"
After all, Chinese audiences are not as familiar with him as Japanese audiences. It is really difficult to fully invest in him as an idol when meeting him for the first time.
It’s fate, what a pity!
01:17
"Witness" clip: Let's enjoy Matsuda's original voice.
05
Strong and cool action idol
In 1978, Matsuda Yusaku participated in the first part of the "Game Trilogy" "The Most Dangerous Game". The series stars Narumi Shohei, a 31-year-old killer with a 100% success rate. Matsuda Yusaku's appearance in the film is very prominent, with his slender and toned legs wrapped in jeans, a shoulder holster looming in the leather jacket, and sunglasses. His dark skin texture cannot be concealed, and coupled with Matsuda Yusaku's second-level karate skills, he is full of coolness and neatness.
People started calling Matsuda Yusaku an action star.
"The Killing Game", which was released in the same year as "The Most Dangerous Game", belongs to the same series as the former, and the character of Narumi Shohei is more concrete. Directors often ask Yusaku to take off his jacket and reveal his shoulder holster to look cool. Matsuda Yusaku has become a national action idol.
In 1979, Matsuda starred in "Death of the Beast": the protagonist becomes mentally distorted after returning to society after participating in the war, and then embarks on a series of destructive acts of violence. Yusaku Matsuda uses infinite precision to get close to this cold-blooded animal that is irrational, on the verge of collapse, and killing without restraint.
To this end, he lost ten pounds, pulled out four big teeth, and gave the character a gloomy look. He even wanted to "cut off five centimeters of the heels" in order to reach the height of the original character.
Matsuda Yusaku's performance in the film is impeccable.
05:04
Matsuda's performance in "The Beast Dies" is chilling.
06
The flower protector’s object of lust
"Detective Story" starring Matsuda has been released in China. The female college student is played by the extremely popular super girl star Hiroko Yakushimaru. This is her third starring role and her return after taking a half-year break from filming to attend college.
In line with the principle of a star supporting the moon, Matsuda Yusaku plays the male protagonist: a private detective who protects the eldest lady but accidentally gets the two of them involved in a murder case. On the screen, the detective is extremely protective and doting on the eldest lady, and off the screen, Matsuda Yusaku also calls Yakushimaru "Hiroko-chan Hiroko-chan".
In fact, the original work by mystery novelist Jiro Akagawa is not that bloody. In order to sell the movie, the movie lavishly consumes the two idol protagonists, and even has a gimmick of two people who are 30 centimeters apart embracing each other and kissing deeply, and finally they become a lolita and a girl. It’s a love movie about uncles, and one of them is an extremely innocent baby girl, while the other is uninhibited and unruly on the screen.
But the audience just loves to watch the drama of young lolita subduing the slutty uncle. The most important thing is that everyone has never seen Matsuda Yusaku play such a simple idol-like role. All these made the film a commercial success.
Interestingly, Yusaku Matsuda later revealed in an interview that in the kiss scene in the film, he actually put his tongue into the mouth of this beautiful national girl. However, in the eyes of rational movie fans, this is his role with the least personality, purely acting as a protector and an object of lust for female viewers.
07
Starring in "Afterwards", the pinnacle of literature and art
February 12, 1984, a rainy night. Female screenwriter Tomomi Tsutsui received an urgent call. Yusaku Matsuda said in a hurried and unquestionable tone on the other end of the phone: "It's very urgent that I want to meet you. It's a work matter. I'll go find you. When? Where?" ?”
An hour and a half later, Matsuda Yusaku appeared in front of Tsutsui, along with director Yoshimitsu Morita and the new movie planning manual.
Matsuda Yusaku said with a smile: "Natsume Soseki's "After"." For some reason, Tsutsui Tomomi immediately had a picture of the heroine Michiyo eating lilies in her mind.
A scene that was not in the original work turned out to be the core concept of the script "Afterwards" written by Tsutsui Tomomi. Lily is the love token of the hero and heroine, and the fragrance of lily means the fragrance of love.
03:45
"Afterwards" Excerpt: Lily
The female writer was infected by Matsuda Yusaku's irresistible enthusiasm, and the two negotiated three or four times in the pub, all on rainy nights. This inspired Tsutsui Tomomi to write the romantic scene in the movie. The scene where the protagonist sniffs lilies on a rainy night: As a woman, the female writer’s “undue desire” for Matsuda Yusaku is so accurate!
Regarding the processing of memories, the director suggested that ordinary memories are a bit boring, and that music and props in specific places should be used to express the mood of the characters getting together and leaving.
01:36
"Afterwards" excerpt
As for the male protagonist, Morita Yoshimitsu gave Matsuda Yusaku the greatest freedom. Matsuda Yusaku's slow and leisurely movements, lonely back and focused eyes perfectly conveyed the hero's melancholy and his deep love for the heroine Michiyo.
This role can be said to be a beautiful transformation of Matsuda Yusaku. Let him reach the pinnacle of literary and artistic film performances.
Putting aside his windbreaker, sunglasses and pistol, Matsuda is still charming. However, the gloomy atmosphere still lingers around, which must have been Matsuda Yusaku's background at that time.
08
A traveler has no boundaries and a child has no fear
In 1988, three years after filming "Afterwards", Matsuda Yusaku starred in the gorgeous "Wuthering Heights" directed by Yoshida Yoshige, one of the three masters of the Japanese New Wave. The director brought the film to the Cannes Film Festival and also introduced Yusaku Matsuda to the international media lens, although foreigners did not really know who he was until the following year through Hollywood's "Black Rain".
Also in 1988, Matsuda collaborated with Kinji Fukasaku, the director of "March of Putian", on "The Rebellion of Hana". The film shows the love affair between the heroine and poet played by Yoshinaga Sayuri and the writer Arishima Takero played by Yosano Akiko and Matsuda Yusaku.
The film won Sayuri Yoshinaga an Academy Award for Best Actress, while Yusaku Matsuda did not make any achievements due to his lack of breakthrough roles. However, the box office appeal and retained influence he contributed to this luxury commercial blockbuster are self-evident. .
04:34
"Hua Chaos" excerpt
During the filming, Matsuda Yusaku had symptoms of irregular urination. After the film was completed, Matsuda Yusaku was told by doctors that he had bladder cancer.
09
Concealing illness for filming "Black Rain"
Ever since he lost a kidney when he hit a telephone pole while riding his bicycle as a child, Yusaku Matsuda has been worried that he won't live long. I didn't expect my fears to be fulfilled so quickly. He was in the prime of life and was suffering from severe illnesses. Between actively extending his life and fighting for time to work, Matsuda Yusaku chose the latter.
When he learned of his illness, Matsuda Yusaku had already joined the cast of "Black Rain" and collaborated with Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, and Ken Takakura. It is said that Douglas initially recommended Jackie Chan for the role of Sato, but when the director first saw Yusaku Matsuda, he knew he was the one he was looking for.
In order to realize his wish to make a Hollywood movie, Matsuda Yusaku hid his illness from his family and postponed treatment. During the filming process, he urinated blood several times, which was only known later. Throughout the process, his wife Miyuki Matsuda was kept in the dark.
His ex-wife later said in the book that Matsuda Yusaku had always resisted and been afraid of doctors and would never realize the seriousness of his illness. This can also be explained by his complete focus on his career.
After the filming of "Black Rain" ended, the cancer cells had spread to the waist, spine and medullary bones. It was long past the time for surgery, but Yusaku Matsuda refused chemotherapy. On September 28, 1989, Matsuda Yusaku was admitted to the hospital. At that time, he was in a state where he could not walk alone.
10
The memory of a child’s swan song will last forever
On October 7, 1989, "Black Rain" was fully released in Japan, setting off a storm by Matsuda Yusaku: his murderous eyes penetrated the screen, and the blood splattering was as fierce as a demon, and he seemed to be dancing a dark dance when killing people. .
In terms of the aura and charm of the character, Matsuda Yusaku completely surpasses the protagonist Ken Takakura. Ken Takakura himself was so convinced that he even predicted that Yusaku Matsuda would win the Oscar on Oscar night in the United States and bought him a gift in advance.
It's a pity that Yusaku Matsuda himself can't see or wait for all this. Due to the deterioration of his condition, Matsuda did not participate in any activities. TV, magazine shootings, and interviews were all canceled, and he even missed the Japanese premiere on October 5. On the second day of the premiere, numerous invitations from Hollywood poured in. However, it was too late. One month later, at 18:45 on November 6, Matsuda Yusaku passed away.
From the announcement of his illness to his death, there was only one month, which caught everyone off guard, and turned the death of Matsuda Yusaku, who was in his 40s, into a huge tragedy. In addition, the film industry fell into decline in the late 1980s. At the bottom, it feels like an era has come to a sad end.
In images of Matsuda's later life, generosity and relaxation replaced unruly and coldness.
Little is known about Yusaku Matsuda's personal life. He refuses to be noticed and prying.
There is a saying: Due to the influence of family and origin in his childhood, Matsuda had some violent tendencies (he had vaguely mentioned it to his previous wife). Fortunately, the wild and unrestrained nature of the movie allowed him to find a channel to vent his inner fire. This prevented him from losing control of his emotions in life. It can be said that the movie saved him. This also explains the inner reason why he is so dedicated to filming that he works hard without caring about his own life.
Matsuda Yusaku has a pioneering appearance on the screen. His trench coat, sunglasses and cowboy hat outfit have been imitated by young people in the street. But in private, Matsuda is very simple. He doesn't care about fashion on weekdays. He doesn't know what to wear without his wife's advice. Good degree. Because of my nearsightedness, I often wear a pair of "old man" glasses. He cares more about himself on screen.
The Japanese have already subconsciously left Matsuda Yusaku in every corner of their lives. He is the prototype of the protagonist of the manga "Fist of the North Star", and he is the prototype of Admiral Aokiji in "One Piece". During his lifetime, he was a sensational movie star; after his death, he was sealed as a symbol of Japanese culture.
Even after his death, Matsuda Yusaku is still loved by Japanese movie fans. His surviving family had no worries about food and clothing. As a photographer's wife, she constantly holds exhibitions about her husband and shoots documentaries about her husband.
Matsuda Ryuhei and his mother in childhood
His sons, Matsuda Ryuhei and Matsuda Shota, both enjoyed prince-like treatment in the industry, and their careers were smooth.
In 1979, while filming "Detective Story", Matsuda met and had an extramarital affair with her co-starring actress Miyuki Kumagai. In 1983, with the birth of their eldest son, Ryuhei Matsuda, the two got married.
family photo album
In 1998, 15-year-old Ryuhei Matsuda was spotted by director Nagisa Oshima at a glance to star in "Gobo" and won the Best Newcomer Award at the 23rd Japan Film Academy Awards.
In his youth, Ryuhei Matsuda was more handsome than his father. As he matures, his image becomes closer and closer to that of his father, especially his forbearing, gloomy, cold-on-the-outside and warm-on-the-internal temperament, which reminds people of Yusaku Matsuda in art films.
Today, Ryuhei Matsuda is 37 years old, and Yusaku Matsuda has been dead for 33 years.
father and son
In the documentary, his wife and two sons expressed their longing for Matsuda.
Ryuhei Matsuda was with his father during his childhood
After the 1990s, among the ranks of male actors, it is difficult to find a tough guy like Yusaku Matsuda. Akako Matsuda Yusaku's fierceness and bravery have become his final song.
Reference materials: "Shanghai Film Pictorial", "World Premiere" and other magazines, "Witness" program and online materials
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